Aminonitriles are a class of important chemicals which have a variety of industrial applications. For example, aminonitriles can be used as a monomer for producing high molecular weight polymers. Specifically, 6-aminocapronitrile can be used to produce nylon 6.
Aminonitriles can be produced by catalytic hydrogenation of dinitriles. However, the yield of and selectivity to a desired aminonitrile using processes known to one skilled in the art are generally not as high as one skilled in the art desires. Additionally, the amount of the complete hydrogenation product, diamine, is generally higher than one skilled in the art would desire.
A convenient process resulting in a high yield of aminonitriles at low levels of dinitrile starting material, fully hydrogenated products (diamines), and byproducts would be of great usefulness for commercial production of aminonitriles.
Therefore, there is an increasing need to develop a process that can selectively hydrogenate a dinitrile to aminonitrile.